


under the endless sky

by wolfchasing



Category: Star Trek: Discovery
Genre: Camping, Explicit Sexual Content, Fluff and Smut, Hiking, M/M, Pre-Season/Series 01, if you think that i wrote paul as adhd or otherwise neurodivergent, then u are absolutely correct because I Love To Project Myself Onto My Faves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-01
Updated: 2018-07-01
Packaged: 2019-05-31 18:30:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,485
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15125381
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wolfchasing/pseuds/wolfchasing
Summary: Paul looked down, bashful, and Hugh could feel his heart fill with love at being let in like this. “I know you don’t really enjoy forests or camping… but I wanted to bring you here. I needed to show you this place.”(or, 5k of camping fluff and smut.)beta'd bystellaviatorii





	under the endless sky

                If Hugh was being entirely honest with himself, he hadn’t expected this portion of their vacation to go so well.

                After two years of dating, Hugh had finally been able to align his allotted leave with some of Paul’s planned downtime in his research, and they had planned a small holiday on Earth to introduce each other to the places they had once called home. Hugh’s contribution had been a stop in Puerto Rico to introduce Paul to his extensive family, before retreating for a few days of lounging around on the beach, drinking mimosas, and spending entirely too-long rubbing sun cream into Paul’s pale skin. A city-dwelling beach boy at heart, Hugh had loved every moment of their time on the island, delighting in the opportunity to spend hours on end with Paul without a hint of worry or sadness about their time together being so short.

                Paul’s contribution to the trip could not have been further from Hugh’s.

                While Hugh had grown up alternating between the bustle of Los Angeles and the sun of Puerto Rico, Paul had cut his teeth in the forests and rain of far north Washington state. Paul hadn’t explained _any_ of the plans he had made, instead giving Hugh a coy ‘it’s a secret’ smile every time he had asked.

                Which was how Hugh had found himself standing at the base of a tree-covered mountain, entirely unprepared for the hike that Paul had sprung on him.

                “C’mon, Hugh, it’ll be fun,” Paul had said while hauling two packs out of their rental car. “You, me, a mountain, and no one around for miles.” He had wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, over-exaggerating the movement so much that Hugh couldn’t help smiling, despite his _severe_ dislike of forests, mud, and rough terrain – all three things that this detour promised in spades.

                “You could have at least told me,” Hugh had said a touch fussily. “I would have brought my actual boots.” In response, Paul had reached into the car and pulled out Hugh’s Starfleet all-terrain boots, and laughed as he threw them in his direction.

                Hugh’s ire had quickly faded in the face of Paul’s obvious delight in their surroundings. Where he had been awkward and self-conscious on the beach, here he was positively bouncing around from excitement as he led Hugh along the well-trodden pathways, deftly avoiding rocks and tree roots with a grace that Hugh hadn’t seen him display before.

                Everything about this trip had been surprising Hugh – half an hour into their hike, Paul had pulled Hugh to the ground, pointed to some faint scuff marks in the dirt, and had confidently proclaimed them to be the tracks of a doe with a fawn, travelling along the path in the same direction that they were headed.

                “How do you know that?” Hugh had asked, scepticism and admiration warring in his mind. This was an entirely new side to Paul, and Hugh liked it.

                Paul had eagerly begun to describe the signs that he had been seeing along their travel, rambling about nibbled vegetation, tracks on the ground, and a tuft of fur snagged on a branch. Sure enough, ten minutes later, Paul had wordlessly stopped Hugh with a hand gesture and pointed off into the bushes. It had taken moment to process what he was seeing, but thirty metres away, standing between the trees and staring warily in their direction was a beautiful deer, and just behind her, a young, spotted fawn.

                Little things like that had been happening throughout the entire hike – every now and then, Paul would pause to point out the signs of some kind of wildlife, or excitedly stop to collect a sample of some kind of fungus. (“Hugh! Look at this! It’s a _phylloporous_! I’ve never seen one this far north before!” “It’s very yellow.” “I know! Isn’t it cool?!”)

                Only now was Hugh realising that he was _truly_ seeing Paul as he was. The version that Hugh had been getting to know over the last few years was the high-stress, hyper-focussed version of Paul, obsessed with his work and with making a mark in the field of mycology. He could still see elements of that man in this one – the same intensity and devotion, the same nervous energy hyping up and releasing in rapid taps of his fingers against his thighs – but all that stress and worry had evaporated, leaving nothing but the happiest version of Paul that Hugh had ever seen.

                It was nice. Paul was in his element, and Hugh loved seeing him so carefree. It was more than enough to make him forget the mud surrounding him.

                “Hugh?” Paul’s voice cut through the silence of the forest, drawing Hugh back to his surroundings as Paul came back through the trees. “The campsite’s just through here, okay?”

                “Campsite?” Hugh frowned as he stood up from the fallen log he had been sitting on, brushing away at the dirt and moss on the back of his trousers. “You never said anything about camping.”

                Paul smiled lightly, mirth dancing in his eyes. “I didn’t? That’s weird.” Paul began to walk back through the trees and tossed back a carefree “Watch your step!” as he confidently stepped over the tree roots.

                Hugh stood on the trail for a moment, dumbfounded and somewhat annoyed by the sheer lack of communication before he followed Paul into the trees. “‘Weird?’ Paul, what the hell?” Hugh stumbled over a fallen branch as he walked, somehow completely unable to imitate the easy grace that Paul had been displaying. “Ow! Damn it, Paul, this had better be worth… it.”

                Hugh’s words trailed off as the dense trees gave way to a small clearing that had been completely invisible from the path. A light layer of leaves and twigs covered the firmly packed earth, but Hugh could easily see the remains of old campfires left behind by long-gone campers. It was stunning – very few branches arched overhead, bathing the clearing in the golden light of late afternoon, and through the trees on the far edge of the clearing, he could see out to the horizon as the side of the mountain slowly sloped down towards the ocean. Hugh could already see the beginnings of a stunning sunset, with no clouds to be seen anywhere in the sky.

                Hugh turned slowly, taking in every aspect of the beautiful little clearing that Paul had led them into, before laying his eyes on Paul himself. Usually, Paul would look positively smug at having rendered Hugh so speechless, but this time, the only expression on his face was a kind of bashful pride.

                “I used to camp here a lot, when I was a kid,” Paul said quietly, as he walked up to hold Hugh’s hand. “It was peaceful and gorgeous, and it meant that I could just spend a whole day away from noise and people and… all of the expectations that they had of me.” Paul raised Hugh’s hand to his lips and pressed a gentle kiss to his knuckles. “I’ve never really brought anyone up here before, because it was something that was all _mine._ I didn’t have to share it with my brother or my parents, because I didn’t want to.” It almost sounded rehearsed to Hugh’s ears, like Paul had been planning this little speech for some time.

                Paul looked down, bashful, and Hugh could feel his heart fill with love at being let in like this. “I know you don’t really enjoy forests or camping… but I wanted to bring you here. I _needed_ to show you this place.”

                Hugh raised his hand, bringing it up to cup the side of Paul’s face. Paul had never spoken much about his childhood and Hugh had never pressed much for any further detail, having sensed that it was a bit of a difficult subject for Paul to even think about. To be allowed in and shown something that was clearly so deeply personal meant a lot to Hugh. Any possible reservations that he may have had about camping evaporated as he stroked his thumb over Paul’s cheekbone, smiling as Paul leaned into his palm. Slowly, Hugh leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to Paul’s lips, trying his best to fill the action with all the love and gratitude that he felt for this man.

                “Thank you,” Paul whispered softly, and a soft, happy smile stretched across his face.

                Eventually, they began to move around the clearing – Hugh collected firewood and tinder while Paul made short work of the old Starfleet issue tent that he had somehow managed to haul up the mountain without Hugh ever realising that _that_ was what he’d been carrying in that heavy pack. (“Where did you even get a Starfleet tent?” “Old surplus store down in Seattle. You wouldn’t _believe_ the detritus that ends up there, Hugh.”)

                This had just been the vacation of surprises, as Hugh watched Paul assemble the tent with a deftness that would have outshone any seasoned Starfleet tactical officer before he moved on to assemble a small campfire in the centre of the clearing.

                “Who taught you how to do all of this?” Hugh asked in amazement as Paul began to wrap potatoes in aluminium foil to place in the glowing embers of the fire.

                The fire was casting a solidly orange hue to Paul’s pale face, but even still, Hugh could see a faint tinge of pink as Paul blushed in response to the praise. “Myself. I had a lot of time on my hands.”

                Hugh sat down on the ground next to Paul, taking one of his hands in his own. “I think it’s amazing.”

                “Yeah?”

                Hugh nodded vigorously. “Absolutely. When they put me through survival training at the Academy, I hated every moment of it. I was so terrible at even just the basics, like lighting a fire or even putting up a tent.” Hugh turned his head so that he was looking straight into Paul’s eyes. “You just did all of that like it was no problem!”

                “It’s not that special, Hugh.”

                “No, it really is. It’s just another little thing about you that I’d never known before now. Anything and everything about you is special, and I love it.” Hugh smiled gently. “I love you.”

                It was almost as if he could physically see the last of Paul’s reservations dissolving right there and then, as something small and subtle changed in Paul’s expression. Somehow, his eyes looked softer, his brows no longer contorted by the consternation and impatience that Hugh often observed during their long-distance calls.

                Paul moved in and Hugh met him halfway, gently pressing their lips together. One of Hugh’s hands remained wrapped around Paul’s wrist, his other coming up to rest on Paul’s knee. He felt Paul’s other hand come up to bury itself in the shorn hair at the back of Hugh’s head, feeling Paul rubbing soft circles into his skin with his fingertips.

                As they sat together by the fire, it felt like the afternoon and evening were simultaneously dragging along and flying by. The sunset was stunning from this elevation – the golden sphere melting into a beautiful cacophony of reds, oranges, and purples as it sunk beneath the horizon. They sat there, right in front of the fire, eating fire-baked potatoes with mushrooms, tomatoes and cheese, sipping on beer and alternating between periods of silence, quiet conversation, and Paul leaning over to whisper in Hugh’s ear whenever he heard the call of some distant animal.

                “They’re not going to… come to our camp, are they?” Hugh asked when Paul pointed out the howl of a distant wolf.

                “No, it’s probably just calling to their pack. They’re miles away.” Paul smiled. “Besides, I have an auditory deterrent that I’ll set up before we go to sleep.”

                As the sky changed from blue, to grey, to a deep, endless black, Hugh couldn’t help but lay back on the blanket they were sitting on so that he could get a full, uninterrupted view of the stars above.

                “I always love to stargaze, don’t you?” Hugh said, feeling Paul lie back on the blanket beside him. He took Paul’s hand in his and pulled it up to his chest and placed it directly over his heart. “I’ve seen so many stars in so many different constellations. I’ve seen the skies from dozens of planets.” Absently, Hugh rubbed small circles into the back of Paul’s hand with his fingers. “None of them have made me feel as isolated or as welcome as _this_ sky does. It’s home, right? It’s _our_ sky, nowhere else in the galaxy sees these stars like we do or has these stories tied to them. It’s uniquely ours, but it makes me feel so small.”

                “There’s a beauty in the isolation, though, right?” Paul said, and Hugh turned his head so that he could watch his partner. Paul hadn’t even moved – he was still gazing up into the sky with that same soft expression from earlier. “Right now, we’re down here, and we’re… _nothing._ We’re so small and insignificant, and compared to the sheer size of the universe, nothing we do matters.”

                “A bit nihilist, don’t you think?”

                With that, Paul turned his head to face Hugh, close enough to kiss. “A bit, maybe. But if nothing we do matters, then _everything_ we do matters. This existence is all we have, so we have to make it worth it. Try and make our mark, do something that’ll leave the universe better than we found it.” Paul turned his head back up to face the stars, and Hugh could see a wistful look take over his face. “Maybe that’s why I’m so… insistent on pursuing the possibilities of the mycelial network. Something that inexplicably connects _everything,_ no matter how insignificant.” Paul breathed a heavy sigh and gave a small, huffed laugh. “I’m talking out of my ass, aren’t I?”

                Hugh shifted his body and leveraged himself onto his side so that he could face Paul completely. Somehow, the guarded expression from earlier had returned – something in Paul had shut down at revealing so much, which was the opposite of what Hugh wanted. Paul had been so open and happy, his eyes so filled with wonder that it hurt Hugh to no longer see it. He had to do something to break the sudden shutdown that Paul was displaying.

                “You know, you’re really hot when you’re being philosophical.” Hugh said in a quiet tone, trying to display as much of his desire as possible through his expression.

                Paul snorted, an unattractive sound that rang around the clearing, and instantly, Paul was back to being soft and unguarded, just as Hugh had intended.

                Hugh reached over and tugged on Paul’s far arm, pulling him over so that he was also lying on his side, face to face with Hugh.

                “I adore you,” Hugh said once Paul’s eyes were on his. He moved his hand so that it was resting on Paul’s hip. “Everything about you – you’re so smart, and honest, and insightful. You’re beyond gorgeous, and every day, I am so thankful that you are in my life.” He watched Paul blush. “I know you don’t think so, but it’s true.”

                Hugh was close enough that he could count every one of Paul’s pale eyelashes. Without thinking, his tongue poked out from between his parted lips and Paul’s eyes traced the movement. They were beautiful; a complete spectrum of steely blues, pale greens and deep greys – but something fierce suddenly rose within his gaze.  “Hugh, I’m really not that speci-!”

                Hugh cut off Paul’s protest with a kiss that was more heated than any of the little pecks that they had been exchanging across the day. Paul gave back immediately, and Hugh closed his eyes, delighting in the sensation of being just so close to him.

                It was almost chaste, how slowly they moved their lips together, but then Paul took Hugh’s lower lip between his teeth and pulled back ever so slightly, tugging gently. Hugh’s heart shuddered in his chest, and he took a moment to do nothing but breathe heavily against Paul’s mouth, feeling entirely overwhelmed by the sheer breadth of emotion that Paul inspired in him. He moved his hand from where it was resting on Paul’s hip and brought it higher up his torso, pressing it against Paul’s chest so he could feel his heartbeat through the thin t-shirt. Paul’s heart was racing, beating out a tattoo that closely matched the pace that Hugh’s was setting.

                Eyes still closed, Hugh felt Paul shift slightly, and felt Paul’s hand come to rest on the side of Hugh’s head. Paul surged back in to give Hugh another strong kiss, and began to move his hand down Hugh’s face, tracing the tips of his fingers over his beard before working along his jawline, over his Adam’s apple and down his chest. Hugh inhaled sharply when Paul tweaked one of his nipples through his shirt.

                Paul’s hand moved further down, and gently traced along the ridges of his chest and abs before reaching the edge of Hugh’s t-shirt. Paul slipped his hand under the hem and rested it flat against Hugh’s skin just above the waistline of his jeans, the chill of his hand causing goosebumps to break out on Hugh’s arms.

                Paul traced loose patterns into Hugh’s skin with his fingertips but did not move his hand lower, despite how much Hugh desperately needed him to.

                Hugh opened his eyes and pulled back, breaking the kiss, to see that Paul was staring at him intently, desire and arousal burning in his eyes. Paul quirked one of his eyebrows, the question of _is this ok?_ evident in the little shift of muscle.

                Hugh’s answer was to swiftly move his hand down, unbutton his jeans with one practiced movement, and he pulled Paul’s hand down beneath the waistband of his boxers.

                Paul smirked, seeming to get the hint and began to dance his fingers along Hugh’s dick. He ran his fingers along the skin before he wrapped his hand around it completely. He moved his hand up the shaft and lingered for a moment at the head to brush his thumb over the tip, then brought his hand back down in one practiced stroke that had Hugh jerking into Paul’s grasp.

                Hugh’s eyes fluttered closed at the sensation as Paul slowly worked up and down the shaft, twisting slightly as he reached the end of Hugh’s dick before moving back down in a steady rhythm. Hugh pressed his mouth against Paul’s once more, lacking all the grace from earlier. It was urgent and messy, more teeth and tongue as Hugh felt a desire – a need – to get himself as close to Paul as physically possible. He moved his own hand down Paul’s chest and stomach (with none of the restraint that Paul had), unbuttoned Paul’s trousers and immediately enclosed his hand around Paul’s cock, finding no barrier in the form of underwear.

                “You… sneaky little shit,” Hugh panted against Paul’s lips, and felt Paul’s mouth open in a wide grin. He moved his hand up and down, matching Paul’s pace stroke for stroke as they worked each other up. “You haven’t been wearing any underwear _all day?”_

                “Been waiting for you to get your act together, _honey.”_

                Hugh huffed a laugh before stifling a moan as Paul kissed along his jawline, down his neck, and started to suck a hickey into the skin there.

                They laid there like that for some time, occasionally changing pace, laughing as their hands bumped together as their strokes lined up, occasionally huffing a small “ _yes”_ or “ _faster_ ” as the other did something they liked. Soon enough, the dual sensation of Paul’s hand and the raspy drag of his underwear had Hugh so hard that it almost hurt. The limited space in Paul’s pants certainly wasn’t helping Hugh achieve the kind of pace he wanted, so with one swift movement, he tugged Paul’s jeans further down his legs to fully expose his cock. Hugh lifted his hips off the blanket and then did the same for his own jeans, and bucked his hips. The sensation of his cock brushing against Paul’s had Hugh moaning.

                He moved his hand back to Paul’s cock and resumed the pace, now fully able to work his hand over the entirety of the shaft for the first time.

                Where Hugh had started to really get into the motion, Paul had paused – an uncharacteristic break that had Hugh confused. Hugh groaned as Paul completely removed his hand. He opened his eyes and watched Paul reach into the pocket of the oversized coat that Paul was still wearing.

                Hugh opened his mouth to whine at the lack of movement, before Paul burst into action. He withdrew his hand from his pocket and hovered his hand just above Hugh’s hip, crushing something in his closed fist.

                 Hugh recognised the sound of a lube capsule being popped, and he felt a few cool drops of liquid splash against his hip. Slowly, Paul moved his now-slick hand around the curve of Hugh’s ass, placed his fingers between his cheeks and brought his other hand up from beneath him to grasp Hugh’s cock.

                Paul squeezed Hugh’s dick slightly, brushing his thumb over the tip and swiping at the pre-come gathered there. A tentative finger rested against Hugh’s entrance, not yet slipping in like Hugh desperately wanted him to.

                “Good?” Paul asked, almost smirking.

                Hugh smiled back at him. “We’re both going to be in so much pain in the morning,” Hugh said, but nonetheless, he clenched his muscles together and trapped Paul’s fingers between his cheeks for a moment. Hugh delighted in how the smug look on Paul’s face was instantly wiped away and replaced by desire as he lost composure. Still smiling, Hugh leaned in and began to suck at the spot were Paul’s strong jaw met his neck.

                Slowly – almost too slowly – Paul pushed a finger past that ring of muscle and began to work Hugh open, the slick coating of lube helping Paul in his task. A second finger joined, then a third, the distance between fingers widening with every move as Paul worked him open, pushing deeper and deeper with every thrust. He was timing his movements with pumps of Hugh’s dick, and each time his fingers brushed at his prostate, Hugh shuddered, jerking his hips into Paul’s, his hand stuttering in its rhythm on Paul’s cock.

                Hugh’s breath shuddered against Paul’s skin, and he felt Paul shiver as the _whoosh_ of air cooled the saliva along his jaw and neck. Hugh could feel that he was close and so, so ready – and somehow, Paul could sense it too. They both stopped their movements almost simultaneously, and Hugh took a moment to lean back and stare at Paul. Paul’s pupils were blown wide from desire, and he looked as dishevelled as Hugh felt. There was a bright red mark beneath his jaw that Hugh _knew_ would turn into a truly spectacular hickey, and Paul’s normally perfect hair was fluffy and in disarray.

                The moment broke, and Paul rolled onto his back, never once breaking eye contact. Hugh leaned over and reached into the same pocket from before, retrieving another capsule of lube that he knew would be there. He took a moment to sit up and used his other hand to wrap it around Paul’s length.

                He could see in Paul’s eyes the want and desire, and instantly Hugh knew what he was going to do next. In one swift movement, he sat on his knees before he bent his entire body over to take Paul in his mouth. He sank all the way down so that his nose was brushing against the soft blonde hair at the base of Paul’s cock.

                “Hugh,” Paul gasped, and Hugh felt Paul’s fingers come to rest on the back of his head – not holding him down, but just resting there, as if Paul needed something, _anything_ to hold on to.

                Hugh began to lift, dragging his tongue against the shaft as he raised his head. He knew that he wouldn’t be able to take Paul so deeply again, but that was alright – hearing Paul gasp his name like that had been more than worth the moment of discomfort. He began to bob up and down, alternating speed and suction, and used his hands to massage Paul’s balls and the space on the shaft that he couldn’t get his mouth around.

                “Hugh,” Paul said after a few minutes of moans, gasps, and uttered curses. He sounded strained, which made Hugh pause for a moment in his movement. “Sweetheart, you’d better get up here _right now.”_

                Hugh smirked around Paul’s cock and pulled off with an obscene smacking sound. He placed a kiss on the head of the dick, now slick with spittle and bright red from the suction. Hugh rummaged around on the blanket for a moment before finding the abandoned capsule. He popped it in his grasp and began to coat Paul’s dick in the substance, making sure to do it quickly. He was eager and ready and wanted nothing more than to feel Paul inside of him.

                Hugh stood and took a moment to kick off his unwieldy Starfleet boots before roughly pushing his jeans down and stepping out of them. He took his dick in hand and began to slowly, almost absent-mindedly stroke himself as he stood over Paul.

                For a moment, all he could do was stand there and watch Paul. He already looked wrecked lying there, still in his heavy coat and t-shirt, jeans only pushed partway down his legs, hair messed up with a week’s worth of stubble decorating his jaw, surrounded by dirt and leaves and illuminated only by the glow of the fire. He was utterly fucking gorgeous, looking like some beautiful Renaissance chiaroscuro painting, and Hugh took great satisfaction in the knowledge that Paul was there, erect and waiting for _him._        

Slowly, Hugh crouched, positioning himself above Paul. He took Paul’s dick in hand as he went down, and positioned himself so that the tip was resting against his entrance.

                It was Hugh’s turn to check in and make sure that everything is all right – he raised his eyebrows and stared into Paul’s eyes. In response, Paul surged up and gripped Hugh’s waist, and caught Hugh in a fierce, brief kiss before he fell back to rest on his elbows.

                _Holy fuck,_ Hugh thought, his head spinning from the force of the kiss and the strong emotion that Paul had managed to fill it with. _I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to do this with you every day. I want to wake up with you beside me and go to bed with your touch being the last thing I think of._ There was so much love in his heart for this man and Hugh wanted nothing more than to make Paul feel good.

                Hugh began to lower himself onto Paul, taking him in slowly, inch-by-inch. Paul’s face went through a whole journey as Hugh sank down, letting Hugh take him in at his own sedate pace in order to get used to the sensation of being filled up so completely. Paul twitched once or twice – a not unwelcome movement – but otherwise remained still, no matter how much Hugh could tell that he wanted to begin moving.

                Once Paul was buried to the hilt in Hugh, Hugh sat for a moment and moved his hips around to get used to the feeling.

_I want to feel you inside me every day for the rest of my life._

                “Holy fuck,” Hugh whispered under his breath. His eyes closed momentarily as he found a good angle. He wanted to get moving, wanted to fuck himself senseless on Paul’s cock, but he wasn’t a kid anymore, and he knew that he needed to pace himself.

                One of Paul’s hands came up to snake under Hugh’s t-shirt and rested on his bare waist. Paul’s fingernails dug into Hugh’s skin almost painfully, but the reassurance and solidity of the motion brought Hugh back to the present, reminding

                Hugh clenched once around Paul, testing the waters, and was gratified to see Paul’s eyes flicker closed a second later as the sensation registered with his mind. He began to move, slowly moving up Paul’s shaft and back down again, over and over. He adjusted his angle, leaning forward a little more, and was rewarded when he felt the head of Paul’s cock press against his prostate.

                He was being slow, he knew that, and Paul tensed and jerked his hips a few times, but Paul seemed otherwise content to let Hugh ride him at his own pace.

                Hugh began to move faster, picking up speed incrementally. He could feel the tension build within his own body, and he took great satisfaction at the sound of skin slapping against skin and the heavenly drag of Paul entering him over and over and over.

                He opened his eyes – when did he close them? – and looked down at the man lying beneath him, and felt nothing but love. This gorgeous, ridiculous man, still clad in his heavy jacket and a plaid shirt, with a ridiculous pair of vintage sunglasses lying abandoned on the blanket next to him. The firelight played across Paul’s face and cast a warm golden tinge to his pale skin – lips swollen and glistening, eyes clenched closed as Hugh fucked himself on Paul’s cock.

                Hugh started to feel his own movements grow erratic as he drew close to his release. He was hitting his own prostate every time he sunk down. His rhythm broke and changed from a steady rise and fall to hasty, sloppy bounces. He gasped as Paul reached out to grasp his dick and the dual sensations of Paul’s dick and Paul’s hand undid him completely. Warm tension broke between his legs, and Hugh arched backwards as his vision went white. He jerked his hips up, seeking friction as he came into Paul’s hand.

                He only had a moment of respite as Paul picked up the rhythm – he moved at a pace that far exceeded the earlier one as he pounded into Hugh. His hips came off the ground as he surged up,. Only the sound of Paul’s thighs meeting Hugh’s ass again and again and Paul’s heavy panted breathing broke through the bliss of Hugh’s orgasm.

                It didn’t take long for Paul to come, already close to the edge. He made a small noise as he came, a soft, satisfied grunt, and he pumped into Hugh two, three more times before he rested back on his elbows. Paul panted and smiled a carefree, happy grin that almost looked at odds with the sweat and tousled hair that fell into his eyes.

                Hugh leaned forward and felt Paul slip out of him as he pressed gentle kisses all over Paul’s face and down his chest. He savoured the salty tang of Paul’s sweat and pressed a deep kiss to Paul’s mouth before he stood up and pulled his abandoned underwear back onto his body.

                Covered in sweat and no longer having the body heat and exhilaration of sex, Hugh was suddenly fully aware of the chill of the cool Washington evening, and felt goosebumps rise along the exposed skin on his legs. He pulled another blanket and a towel from his nearby pack, sat on the blanket next to Paul and carefully cleaned him up, going over his hand and crotch with gentle motions.

When he was clean, Hugh set the towel aside and carefully laid down, resting his head on Paul’s shoulder. When Paul’s hand came up to play with the short, bristly hair above his ear, Hugh smiled as the gentle scratching motions lulled him into a peaceful mood.

                “I think I love camping,” Hugh whispered, feeling pleased when he felt Paul shake beneath him from laughter.

                “I think I love _you,_ ” Paul said in reply, pressing a kiss to Hugh’s temple. “Thank you for coming out here with me.” He stopped playing with Hugh’s hair and moved his arm, wrapping it around Hugh’s body in a loose, warm cuddle that chased away the chill of the night. The crackle of the fire at their feet and the peaceful sounds of the forest around them were all that Hugh could hear. Eventually, Paul’s breathing deepened and his heartbeat slowed as he fell asleep beneath Hugh.

                Hugh laid there awake and basking in the afterglow, with his love lying asleep beneath him and the never-ending swirl of stars above, he couldn’t help but feel so lucky that in his isolated existence in this massive universe, he had been able to find someone like Paul to share it with.

 

**Author's Note:**

> hey hi i initially wrote this scene in like 3 hours for friends on the spaceboos discord, and then took two whole damn months to actually polish it up so i could post it here because i am a mess of a human being
> 
> i've never written smut in my LIFE i hope it's not awful l m a o
> 
> big big big BIG love to [stellaviatorii](https://archiveofourown.org/users/stellaviatorii/pseuds/stellaviatorii) for being both an enabler and a beta for this. You can thank them and their encouragement for the fact that this is seeing the outside of discord. (and please do check out their fics. gene writes real good.)


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